True and Deep
Prologue To be written later... Chapter One I stared at the two glowing orbs in front of me. The shadows hid the rest of this cat’s body, and I probably looked the same – a pair of eyes looking out from the darkness. We stood there a long time, blue locked with amber, until I blinked. He disappeared, and so did the dream. A rough paw prodded at my skinny grey side. I wondered who it was, as prisoners were not allowed to speak and guards certainly did not want to talk to a ‘dirty-blood’. To them were specks of dirt that they could kick around because our blood wasn’t ‘pure’. Though nowadays most were either half-blood or less. “What?” I hissed, batting the paw away. I blinked my eyes opened and looked up at a large ginger striped tom. His name was Razor and he was a prison guard. “Get up,” Razor growled, curling his lip to reveal chipped yellow teeth. I stayed where I was, curled up on the cold and rocky ground. “I did nothing wrong,” I snarled, glaring up at him fiercely. My eyes alone were enough to turn any cat to ice, but Razor barely flinched. “You can’t punish me.” “That’s for Scar to decide,” Razor retorted, narrowing his dark eyes. “Now get up now.” I took one glance at Razor’s long, curved claws before getting slowly to my paws, using up as much time as possible. As I stretched, my bony spine rising in an arch, Razor gripped the scruff of my neck with his jaws and hauled me across the clearing, dragging me in the direction of Scar’s den. I tried not to think of the cruel punishments he had in store for me. Razor let go of me as we entered the freezing cave. I shivered, fluffing out my grey fur in an attempt to keep the cold out, and followed the tom forwards. I tried my best not to be spooked by the acrid water that lay black and shimmering on the smooth cave floor or the distorted shadows that hung at the end of the tunnel, but my fur rose along my spine and my claws dug into the solid ground. As we headed onwards, I was well aware of my paws slapping against the stone floor and the noise that echoed around the low-roofed space. We followed the twisting tunnel forwards for what seemed like a moon before reaching an unyielding rock wall. I glanced at Razor, confused, but he simply gestured at a small crack close to the base. Throwing the tom an unpleasant glare, I dropped down to the crouch and slid forwards towards the hole. The water felt thick and sticky on my belly fur as I wriggled my way through the gap, the stone digging into my back as I slowly inched my way through. At last I found myself sitting on a rock-ledge, looking down onto a lake of icky black water. It was beyond me how the ginger-prey-guard had managed to get through the small space in the wall, but in less than a moment he was perched beside me, his tail tip flicking impatiently. “Are you planning on laying an egg?” he snapped. I had my reply on the tip of my barbed tongue, but before I had a chance to open my mouth, Razor shoved me forwards with his muzzle. Taken by surprise, I had no time to steady myself and went tumbling into the unforgiving waters below. Waves tugged at my fur and the dark goop was sucking me in, swallowing me under its surface. My hind legs churned, my front paws digging furiously as I forced myself up. As I was preparing to launch myself upwards, a violent wave swept me further into the heart of the water-like substance. My lungs were aching for air, screaming at me to breathe, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t! Thick, unpleasant liquid filled my mouth and I had no choice but to swallow, gagging at its awful taste. The need for air did not become any less pressing; in fact it was even starting to become more intense. My limbs were too exhausted to even attempt to fight as the water tugged me this way and that, folding me deeper and deeper under the never-ending lake. Dizzying blackness was about to take over when teeth pierced my muzzle and I was pulled upwards… Chapter Two “Hey!” a muzzle was nudging me, urging me up. “Hey, ‘Paws, you need to get up!” I desperately wanted to obey whoever was speaking but I simply had not the energy. I strained to open my eyes, struggling to lift my head to look over at my rescuer. When I finally found the strength, I saw a tom. He was standing above me. He was pale ginger with dark tabby stripes. He had amber eyes. He was Razor. I gave a small gasp of surprise, but that was I could manage. My head flopped carelessly down to the ground with a dull thump! I heard Razor sigh and flick his ear in annoyance. He then knelt down to the ground beside me and began to lick my sodden grey fur. I flinched away. "Get away from me!" I hissed, waving a paw clumsily in front of where I guessed his face was. "What are you doing?" Razor lapped at my fur once more before pausing, turning to look at me. For the first time, I saw a young face - no younger than my own - staring down at me with pity. I was instantly taken aback for prison-guards were known for their merciless nature. "Scar demands that every cat is to be clean before they enter his den," Razor explained, his voice uneasily soft. "And you look like a half-drowned, burr-covered hedgehog." I snorted, flicking my tail tip. "Well, thanks," I retorted. "You sure know how to make a she-cat's day!" Razor did not reply, but continued to clean me. I let his gentle licks soothe me, and before I knew it my blue eyes were tight shut and sleep had lapped over me like a wave... "'Paws!" I jolted awake, instantly indignant. "Don't call me, 'Paws!" I snarled. "That's disrespectful! I have a proper name!" Razor's whiskers twitched in amusement, and I had to fight the urge to claw him. He brushed past me, and I could see his eyes gleaming. "Then I'd like to know what it is, Paws''," he mewed cheekily. I rolled my eyes, getting to my paws and following him through the tunnel that I had woken up in. "Wildpaw," I told him proudly. "Apprentice of the Clan leader. Before I was taken, that is." Razor turned to look at me, and I could see that all the laughter and brashness had disappeared from his face. He looked truly sorry for me. We stood there a long time, blue locked with amber. Unlike my dream, when I blinked, Razor stayed where he was. "I knew you were a Clan cat," he meowed after a while. "I used to be one too. Tabbypaw of ShadowClan. Until Scar took me and I became a guard. Razor is a name I sort of... acquired during my time here." My eyes widened in surprise and I opened my mouth to say something, but no sound came out. A prison-guard a Clan cat? Impossible! "Come on," Razor meowed curtly. "We have to get to Scar's den soon or he'll skin us alive." I nodded and began to pad forwards through the cave. It took a while, but soon light flooded through a gap in the cave wall, almost blinding me. Screwing up my face, I followed Razor into Scar’s den. My eyes took a while to adjust, but soon I could see everything. Moonlight was filtering in through a large hole in the rood, lighting up the whole of the den. Bones, white and smooth in the light, lay in a large pile in one corner. I hoped with all of my heart that it was leftovers from old prey and nothing else. A pile of moss, feathers and soft grass sat to one side of the cave, forming Scar’s nest, and beside was a pool of very clear, still water. The only other thing in the den was a ghastly tom. He was large, with huge paws and thorn-sharp, long, curled claws. His fur was so white it looked unreal, ghostly even, because it didn’t even have the tiniest speck of dirt on it. I couldn’t help but stare at his massive face with the long, fox-like muzzle and his eyes that were such a shade of amber, they looked red. It was now clear why he was called, Scar. An ugly scar ran diagonally across the whole of his face. “Bow to your me,” the tom growled. His voice was barely a whisper but it echoed around the whole of the cave. I couldn’t help but do as I was told. As Scar rose to his paws and began to circle me, Razor edged closer to my side, his breathing quick. “Now sit.” I sat down and stared up into Scar’s mighty face. “Why am I here?” I demanded, snapping from my trance and getting back up. Scar narrowed his eyes. “You will not speak to me like that,” he hissed. Before I had time to dodge, his claws scored my muzzle. I tried not to move or cry out as I heard my blood drip onto the wet stone floor. Scar’s tail brushed my side and it was all I could do not to flinch away. “I have summoned you here,” Scar spoke softly. “Because I want you to be my mate.” Chapter Three "No!'" I yowled, outraged. Razor, beside me, became more agitated by the heartbeat. He was fluttering around me like an anxious owl, reminding me vaguely of my mother the first I had left the nursery. "You will do as I say!" Scar snarled. "You, get out!" Razor hesitated by my side and the longer he stayed frozen to the spot, the more his guard began to crumble around him. In a matter of moments he went from a ferocious, emotionless tom to a worried, overwrought young warrior. "But-" Razor began. Scar lashed out a paw, scouring deep gouge across the prison guard's shoulder. I felt sick to my stomach as I watched Razor leave the cave, tail-drooping and blood oozing from his side. I was left alone with Scar. "Let me go," I demanded, glaring up fiercely at the tom, my eyes chips of blue eyes. "I will ''never be your mate. Not even in your dreams." Scar laughed, a high, cold merciless laugh that made a shiver run down my spine. He weaved around me, his fur brushing mine, causing white to mix with grey. Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Epilogue Category:Wetty's Writing Contest